Well as you can see i'm back in work after the half term week off and as a result of which my blogging has slumped from that recent active high to my usual occasional post... ah well. It's been a busy week - lots going on in school, and at home with training and organising finances. Yesterday we got out to Dinbren for the first time this year... Yeah!!
It was the wildest i've ever seen the crag with a full on gale blowing directly at the rockface from across the valley - it was like being in a wind tunnel and i even got blown over a couple of times while just standing at the base of routes which has never happened before! after a 6b windy warm up i decided to jump onto something hard, you know just to remind myself what it feels like to have to crank - i narowed things down to a choice between a 8a/+ that Lee and Guy had tried or the Crags 8b - easy choice really isn't it! So i roped up and began to work Insomnia, 8b.
Despite the wind, conditions were perfect! the route really took some figuring out and having not climbed at Dinbren since before Siurana in October i was having to readjust to yarding off small sharp sidepulls and underclings again! Only this time they were smaller and sharper than any i'd tried to use before coz of the grade! after some time working the route the 2 distinct crux sections became clear and were the only sequences causing me any trouble
The problem with working a route at this time of year is that you risk loosing your belayer to hpyothermia! Caroline was frozen belaying in that wind so on reaching the top i lowered off straight away - letting the holds and moves seep into my sub-consious. i can now understand where the route gets it's name!
There it is... the line, one crux between the 2nd and 3rd bolt with the final redpoint crux being getting to and past the 6th bolt below the capping roof which is a walk compared to the rest. Like all good routes but unlike many typical sports lines this route gives the full tick with a required top-out over the capping roof involving some deft pulling on loose jugs! Great! Hmmmmm.... really got me thinking.
You know when a route has inspired or enticed you when you do a session on your board after getting home from trying it.... it had and i did. now i just need to be able to hold those 2 non-crimp ripples at the top... weighted fingertip hangs it is then! A good start to cragging for the year
It was the wildest i've ever seen the crag with a full on gale blowing directly at the rockface from across the valley - it was like being in a wind tunnel and i even got blown over a couple of times while just standing at the base of routes which has never happened before! after a 6b windy warm up i decided to jump onto something hard, you know just to remind myself what it feels like to have to crank - i narowed things down to a choice between a 8a/+ that Lee and Guy had tried or the Crags 8b - easy choice really isn't it! So i roped up and began to work Insomnia, 8b.Despite the wind, conditions were perfect! the route really took some figuring out and having not climbed at Dinbren since before Siurana in October i was having to readjust to yarding off small sharp sidepulls and underclings again! Only this time they were smaller and sharper than any i'd tried to use before coz of the grade! after some time working the route the 2 distinct crux sections became clear and were the only sequences causing me any troubleThe problem with working a route at this time of year is that you risk loosing your belayer to hpyothermia! Caroline was frozen belaying in that wind so on reaching the top i lowered off straight away - letting the holds and moves seep into my sub-consious. i can now understand where the route gets it's name! There it is... the line, one crux between the 2nd and 3rd bolt with the final redpoint crux being getting to and past the 6th bolt below the capping roof which is a walk compared to the rest. Like all good routes but unlike many typical sports lines this route gives the full tick with a required top-out over the capping roof involving some deft pulling on loose jugs! Great! Hmmmmm.... really got me thinking.You know when a route has inspired or enticed you when you do a session on your board after getting home from trying it.... it had and i did. now i just need to be able to hold those 2 non-crimp ripples at the top... weighted fingertip hangs it is then! A good start to cragging for the year
2 comments:
Nice dude! Sounds like you're cranking hard!!!! Look forward to updates :)
Well i'm hanging hard - will update with any actual cranking as and when it happens :) How was Sardinia?
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